Barely even friends
by tobehonest17
Summary: Based on a prompt from 16milesperhour. When at Rosings, Darcy asks who Lady Catherine is referring to when she calls for Fitzwilliam. Elizabeth hates Darcy because she thinks that he is arrogant and dull until she sees him making fun of Lady Catherine who is unaware of this mockery. (movie based). DISCONTINUED FOR NOW (sorry to all my readers)
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey guys, so this story came about when I was perusing 16milesperhour's ides on her phone when I was bored and she said I could have this idea. This first chapter is short but it makes the perfect teaser. Let me know what you think because I have already written a few chapters but wanted to test this story out before posting more of it- no point if no one's going to read it, right? All feedback welcome and appreciated. Hopefully this story can move beyond the first chapter but it is up to you guys :)_**

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"Cousin Elizabeth! We must make haste! Lady Catherine detests tardiness." Mr Collins said in an agitated manner as he waited impatiently for his cousin and wife to appear at the door.

Rolling her eyes at her cousin's impatience, Elizabeth surveyed herself once more in the full length mirror in her bedroom. She hoped that Lady Catherine would not be disappointed in her choice of apparel; she had decided to wear one of her nicer gowns for the evening, as Lady Catherine had made her sentiments known on the subject.

Her gown, green in colour, hugged her figure and slightly accentuated her curves a little more than the other gowns did. To Elizabeth, she looked well dressed and presentable for the evening at Rosings. Adjusting her hair slightly, Elizabeth made her way to her impatient cousin. Charlotte had joined her husband, trying fruitlessly to calm him down.

"There you are, dear cousin. We must hurry if we are not to be late." Mr Collins announced anxiously, opening the door to allow the ladies to quit the house.

Elizabeth was silent during the short walk to the imposing building that was Rosings Park. She listened in disgust as her cousin declared the virtues of the building, including its staggering number of windows and the cost of glazing said windows. Her respite came when Mr Collins announced their presence to Lady Catherine's butler who ushered them into the sitting room occupied by Lady Catherine, her daughter Anne and a striking young lady with blonde hair.

Mr Collins bowed to Lady Catherine and nodded to the young ladies seated upon the loveseat next to Lady Catherine's imperious and imposing throne-like chair. Once his respects to the ladies had been paid, he forced Elizabeth and Charlotte to curtsy. As she curtsied, Elizabeth's curiosity was piqued as to the identity of the pretty, yet shy, blonde young woman seated next to Anne de Bourgh.

Much to her dismay, her dim-witted cousin began to prattle on about the decor of the room and the price of the glazing of the windows, at least 15,000 pounds!

His spiel was effectively interrupted by the arrival of two gentlemen into the room.


	2. Chapter 2

_**So, within 24 hours of posting the first chapter of this story 12 people have reviewed it, thus ultimately swaying my mind to posting the second chapter. A few thank yous first though, so here goes:  
**_

 _ **Arwen Elizabeth: As you see, I have decided to continue, so hope you enjoy this :)**_

 _ **Guest: Thanks for your support. Hopefully the chapters will get longer as the story progresses. I hand wrote majority of this story and so it seemed like I had way more writing than I actually did. Hopefully you will continue to support this story :)**_

 _ **: Your wish is my command- enjoy!**_

 _ **Guest: Hopefully you enjoy this then :)**_

 _ **Guest: Yes, you guessed it!**_

 _ **Ayla: I thanked my friend and she was very appreciative :) Hopefully, I will be able to write the mockery well :)**_

 _ **Ok, seriously, guests could you please get accounts so that I can respond to you privately and individually instead of clogging up the author's note!**_

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Elizabeth was startled when she glanced around the room, effectively ignoring her obnoxious cousin's ramblings, to find that one of the men who had entered the room was none other than the proud and disagreeable Mr Darcy.

Mr Darcy stood in the corner of the room, as he usually did, when the blonde young lady walked in his direction and began to speak to him.

Georgiana smiled as she approached her brother. She had not seen him in several weeks due to his business that he had needed to complete.

"Brother!" Georgiana said with a smile as she stood beside him, her eyes alerting her brother to her present state of happiness.

Mr Darcy, or Fitzwilliam as he was known to his close family, smiled in return. He had missed his sister dearly and was glad to be reunited with her.

"Sister, it is good to see you again. I missed you whilst I was on my travels. Mr Bingley sends his wish to meet you once more." Mr Darcy said with a smile and a glance at his dear sister.

"Fitz, who is that young woman with the parson and his wife? She has glanced in my direction more than once. I...I wish to know who she is and make her acquaintance, if that is alright." Georgiana stammered timidly, knowing that it would be improper to introduce herself to this woman, whom her brother had barely seemed to notice since entering the room.

"Georgie, you know that I would do anything for you, but please do not ask this of me." Fitzwilliam replied, somewhat loudly and stubbornly.

All the while, Elizabeth had been paying close attention to the young woman and her conversation with the man who had slighted her in Hertfordshire. Unfortunately , Elizabeth had heard his selfish request, that the young woman 'not ask this of him'. She wondered what he was referring to but immediately dismissed it as the other young gentleman noticed her and walked towards her.

"Forgive me, miss, but I could not wait for a formal introduction. Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam at your service." Richard said with a slight bow.

Elizabeth smiled then replied, "I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Colonel." she said as she dropped into a shallow curtsey.

Fitzwilliam Darcy chose that exact moment to walk in the direction of his cousin and Elizabeth, with his sister following closely behind.

"Ah Darce, how good of you to join me. Have you made the acquaintance of this lovely young lady?" Richard asked with a grin.

"Thank you Richard. I made the acquaintance of Miss Elizabeth Bennet in Hertfordshire. I hope you are well, Miss Bennet?" Mr Darcy asked politely.

Elizabeth nodded in response before she replied, "I am, thank you Mr Darcy."

Georgiana smiled politely during this exchange, waiting for her brother to introduce her to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Once the pleasantries were dispensed with, the atmosphere between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy became quite tense, which only served to infuriate Richard.

"May I introduce my cousin, Miss Georgiana Darcy. Georgiana, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet." Richard said by way of introduction.

The two women curtsied before smiling at each other and walking in the direction of the loveseat in order to sit and talk.

"Darce, you said nothing of making the acquaintance of that lovely young lady." Richard said, stunned that his cousin had kept such news from him as he usually confided in him.

"I cannot account for my forgetfulness in this matter, however I will tell you of my dealings with Miss Bennet and my foolishness in these dealings." Fitzwilliam said, a grim expression lining his features.


	3. Chapter 3

**_So finally another instalment! I can't tell you all how much I appreciated all the words of encouragement that were sent my way- 21 reviews for 2 chapters, wow! Mr Darcy will make fun of Lady Catherine but it won't be in this chapter as I haven't really decided when I would like it to happen. Any suggestions for possible scenarios are welcome, please PM me if you have any :)_**

 ** _On with the story..._**

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At that moment, a shrill voice broke the conference between the cousins as Lady Catherine chose that exact moment to announce that the evening meal was ready.

Mr Darcy immediately strode over to escort Georgiana however she shook her head almost imperceptibly, instead indicating that he should escort Miss Bennett.

"Miss Bennett, would you allow me the honour of escorting you to the dining room?" Mr Darcy politely asked, offering her his arm as he did so.

"Thank you Mr Darcy." Elizabeth said, accepting his arm in order to be polite, however she did not wish to be escorted by this man especially after what she had heard him say about her in Hertfordshire.

Georgiana smiled as her brother offered to escort the beautiful Miss Bennett to the dining room. She was to be escorted by her cousin Richard who had also offered to escort Anne.

Mr Collins and Charlotte made their way to the dining room behind Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. Charlotte could hardly believe her friend's good fortune in winning the attentions of the powerful and extremely well-connected Mr Darcy, however she too could not easily forget what he had said about her dear friend; that she was not handsome enough to tempt him.

The dining room reflected Lady Catherine's vast fortune in the gaudy decor that exuded wealth and power; in the rich red of the wallpaper and the fine china set upon the rich mahogany table which gleamed with shiny silver utensils.

With a flick of her wrist, Lady Catherine bid her guests to be seated, however she frowned when she realised that the Collins's were seated next to each other.

"Mr Collins! You cannot sit next to your wife. Move!" Lady Catherine reprimanded imperiously.

Mr Collins nodded reverently and moved to where Elizabeth sat, effectively forcing her to move to be seated next to Mr Darcy, which made her unfortunately quite closely seated to Lady Catherine.

The meal began uneventfully, however Lady Catherine seemed incapable of remaining silent on the subject of Elizabeth's family.

"Pray, Miss Bennett, I have been told that all of your sisters are out. Is this true?" Lady Catherine asked.

"It is true." Elizabeth replied, keeping her eyes upon the meal before her.

"The impropriety of it all! Fitzwilliam, you would not do such a thing with dear Georgiana, would you?" Lady Catherine demanded.

"Aunt, I would rather discuss a more neutral topic and leave the guests to eat their meal in peace." Mr Darcy stated firmly.

This turn of events stunned Elizabeth. She could well believe that Mr Darcy would dislike her, however the fact that he had deflected attention away from her suggested that perhaps he did not truly dislike her, however to ignore what his aunt had said suggested arrogance. She was still in a state of shock at being spoken about thus that it registered plainly on her face, causing Charlotte to give her a sympathetic gaze.

The dinner proceeded in a flurry of dishes coming and going in rapid succession. By the end of the meal, Elizabeth could not have voiced her feelings on the subject of the meal as her mind was in turmoil however her thoughts were once more interrupted by Lady Catherine.

"Miss Bennet, when the gentlemen join us, you shall play for us." Lady Catherine commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Elizabeth sighed. _'When will she leave me alone?'_ she wondered as she vaguely paid attention to the conversation between Charlotte and Lady Catherine.

"Miss Bennet," Elizabeth turned to find herself being addressed by Georgiana who continued, "what was my brother like in Hertfordshire? He has told me nothing of his journey." Georgiana asked timidly.

"Miss Darcy, I do not wish to injure you with an unfavourable report of your brother. He was not sociable and spoke to no one when we happened to attend the same gatherings." Elizabeth said.

At that moment, the gentlemen came into the room. Both cousins looked grim, causing Georgiana to look questioningly at her brother who smiled briefly to let her know that all was well.

"Miss Bennet, would you do us the honour of hearing you play?" Georgiana asked, knowing that her aunt would ask soon.

Elizabeth nodded and made her way to the pianoforte which was situated away from the couches and chairs the guests now occupied. To her delight, she was soon joined at the pianoforte by Colonel Fitzwilliam and to her slight dismay, he was accompanied by Mr Darcy.

Slightly intimidated by Mr Darcy's presence, Elizabeth swallowed and began to play a piece that she knew by heart. Her fingers moved over the keys methodically, however she did not exhibit the grace that many 'accomplished ' women possessed when playing the instrument.

The guests were silent as Elizabeth played for a full minute, when her playing was interrupted by Colonel Fitzwilliam.

"Miss Bennet, how was Darcy in Hertfordshire?" Richard asked, curious as to what a young lady would say about his cousin's behaviour, as Mr Darcy had already told him some of what had transpired in Hertfordshire.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in silent questioning before she replied, "your cousin was not at all social and spent the evenings we were at the same gatherings in the corner of the room."

Richard smiled as he could easily believe that Mr Darcy would be capable of such actions. On the other hand, Mr Darcy's facial expression proved slightly more difficult to read.

Elizabeth contemplated what to do next and decided to continue playing, that is, until she was interrupted by Mr Darcy himself.

"Miss Bennet, I do not have the talent to converse easily with strangers." Mr Darcy confessed, allowing Elizabeth a brief glimpse beyond the arrogant and proud exterior of Mr Darcy.

Remembering a conversation earlier in the evening, Elizabeth replied, "perhaps you should take your aunt's advice and practice." Elizabeth blushed as she finished speaking, realising how impertinent her remark sounded.

Mercifully, Lady Catherine interrupted with the declaration, "Fitzwilliam, I need you!"

Both Mr Darcy and Richard turned around at the same time, confused as to whom Lady Catherine was referring.

Mr Darcy expressed his confusion as he decided to ask, "to whom do you wish to speak, aunt?"

At this, Lady Catherine was dumb-founded as she had not considered her statement before she spoke. She was rendered speechless as she tried to decide which of her nephews she would speak to.

The rest of the guests waited for Lady Catherine to speak once more. Georgiana smiled at her brother's mischief-making as he spoke to their aunt in such a manner, however she had been ambiguous in whom she was referring to.


End file.
